|
Northumbria University Mountaineering Club |
O U T A C |
Route : Ben MacDhui |
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|
OS MAP : |
36/43 |
Grade : |
1 |
|
GR : |
068898 |
Terrain : |
1 |
|
Distance : |
19 miles (30 km) |
Navigation : |
4 |
|
Ascent : |
1,020 m (3,250 ft) |
Seriousness : |
5 |
Ben
Macdhui is is the second highest mountain in Scotland. Until well into the 19th
century it was thought to be the highest. Rising to 1309m (4295 feet) at the
centre of the Cairngorms. Its name is said to be derived from the Gaelic for
"hill of the black pig." The plateau area between Ben Macdui and
Cairn Gorm is unique in Britain with a varied subarctic terrain that, with the
peak itself, includes extensive granite boulder fields, corries, cliffs and
buttresses. A stone hut just east of the summit, known locally as the Sapper's
Bothy, was originally said to have been used by military surveyors. Once
thought to have been the highest peak in Scotland, a trigonometrical station
was set up in 1847 by the Ordnance Survey which settled the argument. Ben Macdui
is said to be haunted by a giant ghost called Am Fear Liath Mor (the big grey
man). It is reported that when the Victorian mountaineer Proffessor. N.J.
Collie was alone at the summit he heard footsteps in the snow and was so scared
that he ran fleeing from the top.
Walking
amongst the finest scenery in Scotland!
